Beyond the Binaries: Studying Religion from the Perspective of LGBTQIA Jews, Christians and Muslims in Sweden
Lundell, Elin LU
(2025)
XXIII World Congress of the International Association for the Study of Religions (IAHR)
- Abstract
- When discussing the relationship between religion and LGBTQIA+ rights in Europe today, the two are often framed by both religious and secular representatives as oppositional forces. While the rights of sexual and gender minorities are frequently described as symbols of progress and modernity within liberal democracies, religious communities and traditions are commonly portrayed as defenders of traditional gender roles and family structures, as well as the primary threat toward LGBTQIA+ individuals and their rights. This narrative of opposition between religion and queerness not only frames religion as something exclusively reserved for those who conform to sexual and gender norms but also obscures the diverse ways in which LGBTQIA+... (More)
- When discussing the relationship between religion and LGBTQIA+ rights in Europe today, the two are often framed by both religious and secular representatives as oppositional forces. While the rights of sexual and gender minorities are frequently described as symbols of progress and modernity within liberal democracies, religious communities and traditions are commonly portrayed as defenders of traditional gender roles and family structures, as well as the primary threat toward LGBTQIA+ individuals and their rights. This narrative of opposition between religion and queerness not only frames religion as something exclusively reserved for those who conform to sexual and gender norms but also obscures the diverse ways in which LGBTQIA+ individuals engage with religion.
This paper presentation, grounded in ethnographic fieldwork of the lived religion of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim LGBTQIA+ people in Sweden, moves beyond this dichotomy to examine the concept of religion from the perspective of people situated at the margins of both their religious communities and of the secular society. By approaching the research participants not as outsiders to religion but as religious subjects, this paper argues that their lived experiences provide valuable insights not only into the specificities of queer religious life, but also on the broader significance of religion in a secular context and the dynamic interplay between religious tradition and religious change. In doing so, this presentation offers a framework for understanding religion and religious practice that transcends both secularist and religiously conservative perspectives, while remaining grounded in the lived experiences of people who practice religion. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/c9863839-9a94-4113-9d3b-90c93015d73f
- author
- Lundell, Elin
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-08
- type
- Contribution to conference
- publication status
- unpublished
- subject
- keywords
- Lived Religion, Sociology of Religion, Queer and Transgender Studies in Religion, Religious Change, Decolonial Theory of Religion, Gender and Religion
- conference name
- XXIII World Congress of the International Association for the Study of Religions (IAHR)
- conference location
- Kraków, Poland
- conference dates
- 2025-08-24 - 2025-08-30
- project
- Believing and Belonging: Religion, Gender, and Sexuality in the Lives of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim LGBTQIA+ People in Sweden
- Liveability at the crossroad of religion, gender and sexuality: An ethnographic study of religious and social barriers encountered by LGBTQ+ people across diverse traditions of faith
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- c9863839-9a94-4113-9d3b-90c93015d73f
- date added to LUP
- 2026-04-14 10:10:41
- date last changed
- 2026-05-27 10:40:20
@misc{c9863839-9a94-4113-9d3b-90c93015d73f,
abstract = {{When discussing the relationship between religion and LGBTQIA+ rights in Europe today, the two are often framed by both religious and secular representatives as oppositional forces. While the rights of sexual and gender minorities are frequently described as symbols of progress and modernity within liberal democracies, religious communities and traditions are commonly portrayed as defenders of traditional gender roles and family structures, as well as the primary threat toward LGBTQIA+ individuals and their rights. This narrative of opposition between religion and queerness not only frames religion as something exclusively reserved for those who conform to sexual and gender norms but also obscures the diverse ways in which LGBTQIA+ individuals engage with religion.<br/><br/>This paper presentation, grounded in ethnographic fieldwork of the lived religion of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim LGBTQIA+ people in Sweden, moves beyond this dichotomy to examine the concept of religion from the perspective of people situated at the margins of both their religious communities and of the secular society. By approaching the research participants not as outsiders to religion but as religious subjects, this paper argues that their lived experiences provide valuable insights not only into the specificities of queer religious life, but also on the broader significance of religion in a secular context and the dynamic interplay between religious tradition and religious change. In doing so, this presentation offers a framework for understanding religion and religious practice that transcends both secularist and religiously conservative perspectives, while remaining grounded in the lived experiences of people who practice religion.}},
author = {{Lundell, Elin}},
keywords = {{Lived Religion; Sociology of Religion; Queer and Transgender Studies in Religion; Religious Change; Decolonial Theory of Religion; Gender and Religion}},
language = {{eng}},
title = {{Beyond the Binaries: Studying Religion from the Perspective of LGBTQIA Jews, Christians and Muslims in Sweden}},
year = {{2025}},
}